10. “Georgia on my Mind” – 1930

Composer: Hoagy Carmichael (music); Stuart Gorrell (lyrics)

Carmichael’s friend, Frankie Trumbauer, first suggested he write a song about Georgia because “Nobody lost much writing about the South.” Carmichael’s original didn’t get far, but Trumbauer’s 1931 version did. Although closely identified with the state of Georgia, and designated Georgia’s official state song in 1979, its lyrical ambiguity makes it equally compelling as a love song. The definitive version, without question, is Ray Charles’ 1960 recording for The Genius Hits the Road album.